I’ve flown on many airlines in my life. The older American airlines such as Delta, United, American (now Bankrupt), Continental are known to be the worst airlines. PanAm days? no more. Maybe look to the Asian Airlines for that quality. These old flight attendants are no different in service, age, size & looks than Denny’s graveyard shift waitresses. The quality of the plane, seats, comfort are no different than a public bus. I ordered a sandwich recently, and it tasted like 7/11′s.

And it’s not a matter of “you get what you pay for”, because some of the newer Airlines – Virgin Air & Jet Blue are very impressive and majestic. But they don’t fly to as many places as the latter, nor do they have partnerships with other sister companies to help collect points. So many of us go back to the crap airlines like a dysfunctional relationship – because it’s convenient & easy, even though we kick ourselves in the ass after for doing it.

I’ve had my complaints with Delta in the past for losing my baggage for a 4 day trip in Miami as a result of a delayed flight. Not only did we not have our clothes for 3 days, my watch was stolen, and countless calls were made to the Delta customer service with a different story every time. At least they reimbursed us for some necessary items purchased.

After my disgusting experience with United Airlines this past August, I’ve forgiven Delta for their minor mistakes (in perspective). This is my letter to United Air to share with you our horrible experience, and the neglectful, heedless response:

Hi Terri,

It has been a month and a half since you’re last reply (3 months after our flight). My family & I have awaited patiently for a follow up response. It seems like your company has underestimated all the damage United Airlines caused us – Emotional Distress, Unprofessional Staff, Assault, and Discrimination. I would like to list them again if it was not clear enough the last time.

1) On 7/30, the date of our departure, we checked in the flight and received our boarding ticket. No one informed us that your flight was overbooked until we approached the counter to ask for our seat numbers 30 minutes before boarding. Both ladies working at the counter were disgustingly rude from the start, in informing us that the flight was overbooked and that they would fly us out the next day. There was no apology, or politeness. Instead, their attitudes got worse as we asked questions. Why does your airline so commonly overbook? If you have 92 seats on the plane, then you should sell 92 seats. I think a 5 year old could do that math.

What I also noticed was the other 11 people on the side who did not have a space on the plane was also Chinese. Granted this is a flight to China, half the passengers were not Asian. I don’t think this is a coincidence. Have you trained your Employees to discriminate against minorities? There are many stereotypes that believe minorities will not press charges, and will remain passive & silent. That may have been the case many times in history, but it will not be Today.

2) On 8/17, our layover flight back from SFO to LAX, your rude flight attendant forced us off the plane because of unforgiving language barriers. My sister needed a blanket because the air was blasting while we waited for the plane to take off. I politely asked her for one, she annoyingly replies “We don’t have any” in a smartass manner. I said “my sister is shivering, you don’t have 1 blanket here? She’s gonna get sick.” My dad chiming in in his choppy English “My daughter get flu”. (As in, She may get a flu). There was no room for explanation before the flight attendant, with a terrified look on her face like we brought SARS on, screamed “You guys can’t fly, you need to get off”, creating a huge scene on the whole plane. (the plane door had closed at this point, ready to take off) As I tried to explain that my sister was not sick, she rushed to the security to kick us off.

3) Carla Clay, service director at SFO, lady who escorted us off, promised us upon a doctor’s clearance, we could board again. 98$ paid for the doctor’s visit. Next flight out missed. (6 hours wasted by now) After we showed proof of clearance (which she assaulted out of my hand), she made a ridiculous excuse that with a URI (Upper Respiratory Infection), my sister was not allowed to fly. The medical staff at the airport said that is absolutely NOT TRUE, as well as the family doctors we had called. I can supply 10 more Doctor notes from accredited Doctors. A URI is nothing more than a cold, in which the Airport Dr stated via speaker they circled, ‘just to circle’ something on the paper. At this point, it was just her f**king with us.

Regardless of the clearance or what the doctor said to Carla, she refused us on board and said they would send us out the next day. There was no apology from her, or her colleague. All there was from them was attitude, and condescending tones. It was no big deal to them to waste our time, laugh and lie to our face.

4) Suit against Carla Clay for assaulting us physically & verbally.

5) Emotional distress. I had a mental breakdown at the airport trying to deal with all your staff. They were anything but professional and reasonable. I have never dealt with worse employees. Our nation is in an economic hardship. There are millions of unemployed workers that would better serve your company than those incompetent United employees I had deal with.

It has also been brought to my attention that there is a lawsuit/news article in the Chinese Daily Newspaper about a Discrimination lawsuit about a recent case where a group of Chinese people were not permitted on board because the flight had changed to a smaller plane. Plenty of Caucasians were boarded though.

Response to my 2nd complaint:

Dear Ms. Ueing,

We are in receipt of your email dated October 12th, regarding your concern that was summarized in your August 17th email.

As outlined in my email, United is strongly committed to the equal and appropriate treatment of its customers. Our company philosophy does not condone acts of, and strictly prohibits, discrimination or discriminatory practices of any sort. All staff members with customer contact responsibilities receive training on equal treatment of all customers. We maintain a strong corporate commitment to a simple value to recognize, respect and support our customers and our employees.

Please be assured that when we receive reports that a passenger feels they have been discriminated against in any manner, we take the issue very seriously. Your account of the situation has been reviewed and is currently being investigated by the supervisor of the employees involved. However, as stated in my previous email, that due to the confidentiality of the process, we would be unable to advise you of any result of our internal review.

In the mean time, we have shared your email with the appropriate Manager relating to your continued frustration and disappointment.

Regards,

Terri Rogers
United Airlines Customer Care

First Response after my initial complaint:

> Subject: RE: United Airlines CGN -Ref#: 12940185A
> Date: Fri, 2 Sep 2011 05:16:23 -0600
> From: CustomerSolutions@united.com
> To: Jackiueng@hotmail.com
>
> Dear Ms. Ueng,
>
> I have received your email and sincerely regret the delay in our
> response to your inquiry of August 17th.. Due to a high influx in
> correspondences from our guests, our turnaround time has been longer
> than expected and I apologize for any added inconvenience this has
> caused.
>
> Your frustration and disappointment is understood. I was sorry to learn
> of the difficulties that you reported with our crew onboard United
> flight 872 from San Francisco to Los Angeles on August 17th. Every year
> United serves millions of people representing cultures all around the
> world. United is strongly committed to the equal and appropriate
> treatment of its customers. Our company philosophy does not condone
> acts of, and strictly prohibits, discrimination or discriminatory
> practices of any sort. All staff members with customer contact
> responsibilities receive training on equal treatment of all customers.
> We maintain a strong corporate commitment to a simple value to
> recognize, respect and support our customers and our employees.
>
> Please be assured that when we receive reports that a passenger feels
> they have been discriminated against in any manner, we take the issue
> very seriously. Your account of the situation will be reviewed and
> investigated by the supervisor of the employees involved. However,
> please be advised that due to the confidentiality of the process, we
> would be unable to advise you of any result of our internal review.
>
> Despite the negative experience, we hope to have your continued business
> and support. United is committed to providing a pleasant and safe
> environment for our customers.
>
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Terri Rogers
> United Airlines Customer Care

I flew United Air to China because it was $1100, the cheapest compared to the standard $1400 I was finding with other airlines. I am pleading to you, to save yourself 10 years of life from stress and anger, to spend those extra hundred bucks for a quality airline.

I am so disgusted and appalled by United Air. That’s the only response we received. No compensation for the dr.’s visit, no apology, no recognition of their incompetence, nor would they release the name of the flight attendant as earlier promised. I don’t need to wish them harm, they will run their company to the ground if they don’t change. At this time in the American Economy, only the strong & quality will survive. United Airline will not. Despicable.

A beautiful insight look into a country we know so little & limited about.

Hello Afganistan, I hope we can meet soon.

With Love,
Jackistan

Me covered in a rasta Sarong in Kollam, South India by Ama’s “Hugging Saint” Ashram, where the Arabian Sea meets the Indian Ocean, March 2007

No matter where it is you’re traveling, a Sarong is an essential traveler’s accessory! You may be going on a romantic getaway to Bora Bora, a tropical printed Sarong would come in great as a cover-up to the beach and around town if you’re too lazy to put on clothes. If you’re vacationing in Cabo with the girls, a Sarong is a must-have accessory to lay out on, or to cover lawn chairs. I tie it up as a dress which is easy to do and saves space in my bag.

A Sarong could come in really handy when visiting countries with stricter dress codes. Females may use it as headscarves and to cover their shoulder in temples. It could be used as a scarf when it’s cold.

Use it as a statement. It’s a way of representing your country’s flag as backpackers are always proud of where they’ve come from. Hang it from your bunk bed at your hostel to claim territory, or outside your hut! Use it as a political statement.

Practical uses: When backpacking/traveling, many hostels may not have the cleanest beds or pillows. Hey, what do you expect for 15 Shekels/night? You could use your sarong as a sheet to cover your bed. You could use it as a pillow on the plane. Use it as a way to hold your dirty clothes. Also, a sarong could be used to cover cracks allowing light into the room. No one needs that extra light when we’re on vacation sleeping in!

A sarong is a wonderful gift to give friends/families (boys & girls!). I just gave one to my sister who’s going off to college tomorrow in San Diego. I know she’ll be stylin’ with the California Flag Sarong, representing her state while laying on the beach catching a tan

Please excuse the cheesy edit of me on the beach *embarrassed face emoticon*. I wanted to show off the beautiful sarongs I got from Custom Sarongs – http://www.customsarongs.com. Kyle, the CEO is a good college friend of mine who had the ‘a-ha moment’ while backpacking Brazil in 2008 to start making sarongs for friends worldwide. You can find a lot of of beautifully made sarongs, as well as custom ones of your own design. Leave me a comment & tell me what you think!

Wear it. Hang it. Use it.

Hi Hi! In case you wanted to start doing Yoga from your living room or anywhere from your laptop, YogaVibes.com is on it! There are videos you may watch from your computer, taught by your favorite Yoga Teachers! My dear teacher Jeanne Heileman just filmed a few videos & kindly asked her students to join. You can find me in a few

Check out specific Asana‘s taught in detail & different body types: Parsvakonasana (side angle pose) – Salabhasana (Locust Pose), Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (Pigeon Pose).

* If you’re interested in Meditation, Breathing, check out:: Meditation: Getting Grounded, Meditation: Radiation of your Inner Fire.
* Preview a few minutes to see if you’re interested in buying full classes:: Core Yoga for Healing – Hip Openers for Everyone.

Of course, explore the whole site to see what else they have to offer and other amazing teachers with different styles of Yoga that fit your interest/need.You may purchase unlimited classes for 25$/month, or 10$/class (more details listed on the site).

I’d like to end this post with an insightful quote to ponder about by our very own teacher, Desikachar -
“Yoga exists in the world because everything is linked.”

Namaste.

In 12 hours, I will be on a flight to Shanghai with my dad and sister. Motherland here we come! Back to the roots. Genetically, my grandparents and their ancestors and so on (or so I know) are all from China. Maybe Mongolia if we’re going to root back to Genghis Kahn (watched a documentary recently, apparently 1/200 people living today have his blood.) My parent’s were born in Taiwan after my grandparents escaped China in the 40s when Mao ze Dong took over and kicked Chiang kai Shek & his KMT party out. It was leave or be massacred.

I’m quite excited to visit the homeland. Ive been to Taiwan & Hong Kong a handful of times (if you consider it China). I went to Beijing a decade ago and wasnt into it then. I climbed a miniscule portion of the great wall, visited the forbidden city, saw some opera’s, and got some massages (no happy endings). I realized that at different ages, different stages in our lives, we appreciate places differently. When we went, it was in December, the heart of winter, fuhh-reeezing cold below 0 temperature. And back in hormonal high-school days, none of us were ever satisfied no matter what we did. So this will be a fresh new trip.

We will land in Shanghai for 2 nights. Meeting up my dear Chinese-American friends Albert & Victoria (who I’ve set up to become BFF’s. clap clap), individuals who have become expats and found better, more promising careers in Shanghai. It’s been the common trend #recession #americaneconomy. Comrades of my generation, and even my parents generation going back to Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, China for better career opportunities.

We will hang in Shanghai to see the nightline, and tour the city by day. 3rd or 4th morning, we will be en route to Fu-chou, in southern China next to Guang-zhou where my dad’s parents are from. We have some family business friends who will take us around. And then en route to Yunnan where I am most excited about. Yunnan is in southwest China, bordering Burma, Vietnam & Lao’s, a boat ride away from Thailand. The most diverse of the China states, Yunnan has over 40 different ethnic groups & religions that live amongst each other peacefully. We will lounge our way through from the capital of Kunming, to Dali, to Li-jiang, and hopefully all the way up to Utopia, aka the “real” Shangri-La. Now whether this is the “real Shangri-La” James Hilton had written about in Lost Horizons back in the 30′s, to many, it may as well have been all a fiction. “Shangri-la” or “paradise” is where you make of it (but somewhere bordering Pakistan/China). So I will decide for myself when I arrive if that is my paradise.

After a week in Yunnan, our itinerary is open. Open to X’ian, or Cheng-du.. or ending our trip at the beaches of Qing dao (in Shan-dong, northern eastern China where my  mom’s parents are from). Coincidentally, the Qing dao beer festival is going on now, kind of like the Octoberfest but a Chinese version. That could be a fun or absolute terrifying claustrophic experience. I’ll let you know if I ever reach there.

I will be gone 17 days. I have to admit the older I get, the more nervous I get before leaving on trips. And if anything, my trips are getting shorter and shorter. It was India for 3 1/2 weeks in 2008. 1 month in SE Asia in 2009. 3 weeks to Turkey, Greece, Israel last year. Responsibilities are piling up against my will and I’m feeling guilty for taking such time off. But I bet once I’m on the road again, all the travel itching will begin. I have designated my sister as director/producer, and hopefully we’ll come back with some good footage to edit. The past few years’ footages have all been sitting in my battered hard-drive, completely unattended. Poor children.

We shall see. Have a beautiful August my pung-yo’s. I’m off to exploring part of my root.. and replenishing that wanderlust that needs to jet-set far too often. Bon Voyage!

I’ve been told I ask a lot of questions. I could meet someone and within 5 minutes, tell them about my life story as well as ask theirs. Some people are just as open, others not so much. For some, it takes a lifetime for them to unravel their life’s story after trust is built. For others, they’re simply that complicated that it would take a lifetime. Those are the most interesting to me. Being complicated is not necessarily a bad thing. I once had this wise older friend tell me that to find the right guy, or just quality people, we want them to be like an Onion. Each time you sit down with them, is a new layer of onion that peels off, and each time you see them, more and more layers come off because of all their interesting characteristics and experiences.

My curiosity can come off intrusive or interrogating, but I’m just truly interested. I love people. I love to hear about where they’ve come from, where they’ve been, where their parents came from and how it’s made them who they are today. I like to hear about a person’s beliefs – in morals, religion, political views and more. I like to open someone’s refrigerator, or ask them what they ate for lunch, because it’s interesting. I enjoy piecing it together as it deepens my understanding of the human race.

I am encouraged by others’ ambitions. Asking what their 5 year/10 year plan does not mean that they have to live up to those standards or fail if they don’t. It’s a general idea of what they’re about. I’m curious what people would do if money was not an issue. Most people have a totally different response than the job they’re working now. That selection would usually be their passion and Dharma (what they’re meant to do in this life). I have a friend who would go to culinary school. I have a  successful female client who said she’d become a Veterinarian. I know a real estate professional who would become a doctor. My sister said she wanted to become a clown when she was 5. You ask me, I’d travel for the rest of my life if I didn’t have to worry about money, blog and film documentaries.

This curiosity of the human race is why I travel. It’s why I majored in Cultural Anthropology. It’s why I like to interview/film people and share it with the world. I want to ask the questions some other reporters won’t ask, in hopes that it will shed prejudice and unravel perspectives about people (in a good way) we wouldn’t have otherwise known. I was having a conversation with someone I had just met yesterday at a friend’s pool party. He brought up a great point. He said you know someone’s interesting when they ask questions. People that don’t, think they know everything. I’ve always admired Socrates quote “The more you know, the more you realize you know nothing.”

Cheers to those that are always striving to learn more. Those always reading. Those not taking sides on only what the media shows. ‘Stay hungry, Stay foolish.’ Stay thirsty my friends.

And to share with you today’s Kaballah, which is so appropriate for today’s topic.. to encourage you to ask more who, what, where, when, why & how’s:

Why is Knowledge

Sunday July 24, 2011

“Why?” is the root of knowledge.  Questions are encouraged because they are essential to your spiritual growth.  The only dumb question is the question not asked.

In Sanskrit, Klesah means Obstacles. Avidya means Ignorance or Misperception, which comes from illusions. I’m learning these concepts during my path of deeper Yoga studies. In the Bhagavad Gita it is noted that all sufferings and limitations imposed by the ego come from Avidya. We have to seek knowledge, with which hatred, injury and greed are incompatible.
Food for thought- Could it be that that which we don’t like in this world, we don’t understand? In hopes that this thought will encourage us to seek more knowledge from outside our realm & live a more compassionate life.

This is what travel & books do for us. News do sometimes, but you have to also realize that the news rely on ratings. It doesn’t have our ‘enlightenment’ or ‘peace of mind’ as a priority. Especially today, when our country is having war with the middle east. When we watch the news and see that the middle east is fighting amongst each other. When we see drug wars in Mexico. When we don’t understand communism in China, or poverty in Africa. It’s not to say that one will ever fully understand this world. There’s no way, there’s too much. Nor is it to say that once we’ve understood the nature of certain hate crimes, that we will forgive completely. But in each step we take in discovering new countries, outside of the resorts and into the off beaten paths, we may learn that these countries that are our “enemies” contain 99% of individuals who are innocent, and live day to day like us. They have beliefs and religions that they go by, with a different name of “God” – Yahweh, Ishvara, Allah, Vishnu, Shangdi, Elohim, Jehovah – that has to do with love and care. Hoping that will cure hatred in the US among our neighbors that may be of that descent.

I’ve been asked this question all the time through friends, clients, acquaintances and even random emails from people across the world. The famous Vagabond travel writer Rolf Pott’s wrote an article on how he affords to, a journalist, accomplished book author, a guy at age 40. I’m writing as a complimentary response to that, geared to all my female compadres in their 20′s wanting to, but hesitant. I’ll be honest with you, many females never end up doing it. Maybe one day with their family or when they’re older.

I’ve grown up with the curiosity of the world. I was always drawn to the National geographic and Travel channel. But I never really thought of it as a reality until I started to travel with my family in my later high school years. Back then, my  mom would find the local Chinese tour companies and gather 5-8 families she knows and we’d all hop on a tour bus. Stopping by 5 landmarks a day to take photos throughout Europe, it became all a blur to me what I saw and unclear of their meaning. I have no regrets for how we traveled then, because it opened my eyes to a world of travel possibilities. And those tour packages were not cheap. Easily 5,000 a person for a 2 week vacation. I think that’s what people imagine when they think of taking off 2 weeks. Believe me, I’ve never spent that much in a month of traveling, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to afford it either. When I graduated college, I had no idea what career path I’d take, I wasn’t worried either. I knew that I’d find my Dharma by following my instincts like the Alchemist. My only plan was to make a few grand from whatever job available and travel to India for 6 months or until money runs out.

I took on the job which I’m still at today at the Title Company which has provided me a flexible lifestyle. Being a commission job, it’s anything but stable, it’s the risk I take. Through the years, through all the amazing females I’ve befriended in the industry – Escrow Officers, Loan Officers, married women, women in their 30′s, 40′s, even 60′s, it has all been one clear message to me. Many of them tell me stories of their lives, and ask me kindly to follow my passion, to travel, to have fun, and to not worry about making so much money early on. Sometimes later never comes. Especially once a girl gets married. Not that you can’t travel with your husband. But I hate to stereotype, but girls are pressured to get married way earlier than guys do. And once they get married, many girls lose their drive to do anything but to start a family. I had heard endless heartfelt stories of dreams and passions they had in their early 20′s, but because of taking on jobs which lead to consumerism which lead to mortgages and more debt, they no longer can afford to take off time and money to travel. Be self-loving when you’re young. I know that when I become a wife and mother, I will dedicate my life to my family, but until then, I’m going to find myself and learn to love myself before putting anyone else first.

Through books like “Eat Pray Love” where we read about Liz who’s always had a burning desire to travel but succumbed to the 9-5 job/married life, it wasn’t until her messy divorce in her mid 30′s did she pull the trigger to take off and travel for a year. Same with Rita Gelman’s “Tales of a Female Nomad”. All these circumstances gave me a push to just go. And you can too! I am doing it for all the women who cannot, and hope that you will too.

I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you all the secrets. There’s no secret to how I can afford to take 3-4 week vacations, and maybe 2 months more a year if we were like our lucky European neighbors with higher taxes but better benefits, or our Australian friends who go for years at a time. I will say though that America’s mentality does not encourage the global traveling as much as the Europeans, Australians and even some Asian countries. Some don’t find the need to leave such a privileged country to live ruggedly in Africa. Well then traveling’s not fit for those.

The mentality in US is work until you’re a grandparent so that you could ‘someday’ retire and then travel. Well honestly, who knows if ‘someday’ will come, and who knows if you’ll ever be able to retire with the way the Economy is going. Who knows if you’ll have the energy to hike the Inca trails at age 70, stay at 5$ hostels or have the carefree spontaneity to hitchhike. The time is NOW. If traveling the world has lingered in your mind, and you find yourself envious of those facebook albums of your friends in certain countries, then do it.

The Fear:

The first thing is the whole misconstrued connotation with ‘Traveling’. People have this idea that traveling must be so expensive. It must cost at least 5,000$ for a 2 week vacation. So instead, most my friends decide to go to Las Vegas or Miami a few times a year, because it’s “cheaper”. Because a trip may cost 700 or 1000$ each. Well put that into perspective. I’d say the average trips to Vegas or any domestic trips for most friends are around 3 times a year. That’s easily 2000$ you could save if you did not. Ok, so all the girls will say “Well, I don’t spend much money in Vegas. Guys buy me drinks, and we split the gas to get there.” The hotel, the gas, the food, some drinks, poolside drinking will still cost you a few hundred bucks. And a new Marciano dress and swanky heels will cost you another few hundred. I have saved thousands from not going to Vegas more than once a year. Well I also don’t find a smoke-filled casino as a proper vacation, definitely not an enlightenment. And I use this example of Vegas because it’s what I encounter the most with all my lovely friends in their 20′s.

Another major fear is whether or not the world is a safe place. There’s definitely certain war zones or more chauvinistic cultures than others that is more dangerous than say, Switzerland or Canada. But even in places that are considered “war zone” or “chauvinistic” have proven to be some of the fellow traveler’s favorite places. Why? In many cases, those places are less traveled, more authentic in culture, the locals are more inviting not to make your money but to learn about you, and simply because it’s somewhere different that will shed you new wonderful perspectives. I’ve had a few friends who have been to Kashmir, India (the Pakistan & Indian border which has been war zone for years) and brag that it’s one of the most beautiful places with the nicest people they’ve ever met. Israel may seem scary to some people because of the constant bombings in certain parts, but that small strip is so miniscule to the rest of the beautiful country I spent a week there last year with my friend. Mexico has been noted as a traveler’s warning for the kidnapping and drug wars. But tons of friends still go vacation at Cabo San Lucas or Cancun and come back with beautiful experiences.

Ok so you don’t care to put your life at risk at edgier countries. There are many safe countries. For those that have traveled, I’ve never heard of one person saying that the world is not a safe place. Anywhere you go, people are living day to day as we do. To look out for their families and friends, to live a comfortable happy, meaningful life. When they encounter travelers, they all want to help. I have so many heartfelt stories of strangers I met across the world. Locals and backpackers who will forever be in my mind.

Manage your money:

Travel Cheaply. If I bought tour packages from American tour agencies, I couldn’t afford it either. I decide on the country I wish to go. I start doing my research online for the cheapest flight from Kayak.com, Vayama.com. I also consult with a travel agency on their price. And every time, I’ve been able to find it online for the same price or better. Sometimes travel agents will even offer you the more expensive flight so they can make a higher commission, unless you mention to them that you know of cheaper flights. “Oops! Must have missed that,” they say. So I book it myself. There is more control that way too, you have direct contact with your airline company, with mileage points, etc etc.

I travel on a major shoestring budget. I stay at hostels and home-stays which can range from 5$ – 20$ a night. Many people may have this idea of 100$ Hilton hotels abroad. Those 3 star+ hotels are great for romantic getaways or when you have that money to spend. I don’t find it necessary. I look on hostelworld.com for cheap hostels, I get lists from usservas.org for cultural exchange/Homestays for Free. I always buy a Lonely Planet guide book from Amazon (cheaper, no tax and free shipping for over 25$) and start the research a head of time. LP will offer high-end, mid-range, and budget accommodations.  I’ve always gone with the Budget. And to save even more money, I use those recommended hostels as starting points when I arrive at the destination. For example, when I was in Cambodia, we would show up at a suggested hostel and price shop. They would tell us 15$/night for a double (very likely 8$ a night before it was listed on guidebooks and became popular), and then I would go 2 hostels down to one that’s not as popular, with the same amenities and it would cost 5-7$ a night. Those few dollars here and there allow for longer travel times. Especially from a 100$ hotel to a 7$ hostel.

Eat locally. You’re traveling to gain perspective and to learn about their culture. Why wouldn’t you eat the local food? Ok ok, I understand you have concerns with the potential infamous bowel movements that you hear about, or have even experienced. So that’s why you pack your Pepto Bismol and take your vitamins! I’m not telling you to eat from street carts, although I do. I have a stomach of steel and rarely get sick. But that could be from my early childhood training from eating everything and anything. And all my late night bacon-wrapped hot dogs in Hollywood from unregistered boxed carts who flee the scene when the po-po pulls up. When I use to go on those tour trips, they would always feed us Intercontinental buffets from the hotels and eat at these fancy Westernized versions of the local food. Yuck! I’d rather eat fried crickets from a Vietnamese bus stop if that’s what the locals eat for 10 cents each! Those tour-arranged restaurants would cost at least 5 times the cost of eating at a local restaurant. No wonder the tour packages are so expensive! And who wants to eat Hometown Buffet food when you’re in Thailand?

If you’re under 26, you can apply for an international traveler’s student card from statravel.com. You’ll save at least 10% or even free access to many museums and famous tourist attractions! Certain lifestyle changes will have to be modified if you’re serious about traveling. If a 3000$ Chanel purse is more important to you than taking a 3 week vacation abroad, then I can’t change you. But cutting down on some shopping, from eating out, driving hybrid cars to save on gas (which I have reduced 400$ a month from downsizing from a SUV to a Prius). I sacrificed living in my eccentric studio in West Hollywood to move home with the parents so I can save another 1500$ a month. That may not be an option for certain people, so I do feel blessed for having that option. For others, it’s just a matter of lifestyle change. I sucked up my pride and figured after 3 months at home, I could afford to travel for a month somewhere. So in retrospect, I could travel for 4 months straight if I lived at home for a year.

Also the countries you choose to go to, will make a difference in how long you can afford to go for. If you choose France or Japan, you will expect to pay double than your American life. I have shied away from the more expensive places for now, partly because of the cost. Also because the developed places, I feel, can wait. Developing countries will not be the same in 10 or 20 years. China and India is not the same as it was even 5 years ago. I feel the need to go before Globalization or Tourism changes their culture. Thailand is a beautiful country I’ve been to 3-4 times. It will always be beautiful, but there are certain parts like Bangkok or Ko Phi Pi Island that are over-saturated with Tourism culture that I feel a lot of authenticity has been lost. And the locals live to extort your money.

I took a month vacation through SouthEast Asia summer of 2009. SE Asia has been known to be among the cheapest places to travel through. My whole cost including the flight that whole month was only 3000$. Many friends asked how I was able to afford to take off 1 month as a 24 year old, like it was some kind of secret. My expenses living in the US can be easily 2000$ a month. That extra 1000$ can be saved, if you choose to. I am fortunate to work a mainly commission based job that allows me to take off more time if I have good months. But even with the typical 2 week vacations per year, if you cut down on the domestic trips and sick days, you could take that 2 weeks to somewhere exotic. Most Americans love going to Mexico for a short vacation or Europe. But there are other beautiful places to see, and cheaper.

If this blog post even inspires 1 young female to travel, I would be ecstatic. I truly believe that each time someone travels, you are opening your mind to what’s out there and become more loving. I am here to tell you that the world is a safe place. That crimes that may happen like theft or worst things can happen here in Los Angeles, in many cases, more likely. I’ve traveled alone. I’ve traveled with girls, I’ve traveled with a friend. Any way you choose, it will work itself out. You will come home with stories and tales that seem but a myth or a faint memory that you share with your family and friends. You will get the travel bug that will only get itchier through time.

Traveling will make your Life more meaningful and reveal your Dharma. You will begin to appreciate the different cultures and religions here at home. You’ll understand your friends and why they do what they do because of their upbringing and the generational traditions they still practice from their native country. I have appreciated my country United States of America more than I could have ever if I never left. The US government has their flaws, like everything in life, where there’s Yin, there’s Yang. I choose to see the beauty in our country that 95% of countries don’t have especially when it comes to choice and realizing that we really are a “Free Country”. You may think that you can’t afford to travel and that “one day” you will do it. Just remember the older you get, the more ‘baggage’ you will accrue, tying you down to the point where you’re just a product of the rat race and the hopeful 401k. Get out while you’re still young. Explore the world and see what it has to offer.

“The world is a book and those who don’t travel read only a page” – St. Augustine

For more, check out my Travel Advice page! or e-mail me at JackiUeng@hotmail.com if you have any questions!